Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Chapter 2 Who else but me would dare to accept this title?
Sixty years ago, Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, conquered a mighty empire with his fists and a staff. When Zhao Kuangyin returned to his hometown to pay homage to his ancestors, he happened to obtain a stone tablet.

The front of the stone tablet is inscribed with the names of 108 martial arts masters of the time, divided into 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly Fiends, while the back is engraved with a map of mountains and rivers.

If a person on the list dies or is defeated by someone ranked lower, their title will change. Over time, a ranking culture developed in the martial arts world.

There are various lists such as the Dragon and Tiger List, the Beauty List, and the Hidden Dragon List, as well as the "One Immortal, Two Buddhas, Three Demons, and Four Absolutes" which are independent of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend List, giving rise to several intelligence forces.

This isn't hype; it's real, tangible benefit.

Martial artists who make it onto the Earthly Fiends List are honored as Grandmasters and can establish sects and schools in prefectures, counties, and cities to reap profits.

Martial artists who make it onto the Heavenly Gang Ranking are honored as Grandmasters. They can establish their own sects in famous mountains and rivers, blessed lands and grottoes, becoming the founders of a sect or being worshipped by the royal family.

The Tang family in Hangzhou is the best example.

The Tang family was originally a branch of the Tang Clan in Sichuan. Tang Songting was exceptionally talented and abandoned skills such as poison and hidden weapons to specialize in martial arts. He ascended to the Heavenly Gang List at the age of twenty-five.

After that, Tang Songting broke away from the main Tang Clan and established his own sect in Hangzhou. The Tang Clan did not say much, but forbade the Tang family from practicing the sect's unique skills.

Another example is Empress Dowager Liu E, who ruled from behind the curtain.

Liu E was a disciple of the Yin Gui School, inheriting the traditions of both the Yin Gui and Hua Jian Schools. She ranked first on the Heavenly Gang List, only slightly inferior to Empress Wu Zetian.

Another theory is that the Heavenly Gang Ranking represents the limit of a mortal's physical strength. After breaking through, one becomes an immortal or a Buddha, which is the "one immortal, two Buddhas, and three demons" at the top of the martial arts world.

These are too distant, too ethereal.

The Earthly Fiend Grandmaster is someone that countless people look up to.

Grandmasters on the Heavenly Ranking are extremely rare and hard to come by.

Li Zhaoting, despite his young age, possesses strength comparable to a Grandmaster on the Heavenly Gang Ranking. Even if he were at the bottom of the Heavenly Gang and made no further progress in his life, he could still protect the Feng family for sixty years.

The game was going very fast.

One by one, the contestants were knocked off the stage, and the competition gradually changed from a round-robin format to a title defense format.

Wen Chou, Dongfang Sheng, Liu Changying, and Li Zhaoting each occupy a stage, and all contestants can go up to challenge them until everyone is convinced.

The weapon used to smell the stench was a sugarcane; Dongfang Sheng was skilled in swordsmanship; and Liu Changying held a folding fan.

Initially, he can maintain his composure, and his moves are elegant, grand, and magnificent. However, as the number of challengers increases, his physical strength depletes, and he gradually falls into a disadvantageous position.

If not for his noble birth, he would have failed to defend his title long ago.

That's just how it is when you defend your title.

The more battles you participate in, the more severe the depletion of your inner energy and physical strength becomes, and the easier it is for your opponents to discover your weaknesses in your moves, putting you in a desperate situation without warning.

Only Li Zhaoting remains as charming as ever.

No matter who steps onto the stage to challenge him, no matter if the opponent uses a gun, sword, knife, fist, claw, or meteor hammer, Li Zhaoting always effortlessly knocks his opponent off the stage.

A blue robe, a green bamboo, and a sword technique.

With his sword held horizontally across his chest, he was like an insurmountable chasm, a thunderous pool; no one could get close, and no one could withstand three moves from him.

What's even more surprising is that Li Zhaoting used swordsmanship, but his weapon was just an ordinary bamboo staff. No one could make Li Zhaoting draw his sword.

Which family's disciple is this?

What is the background of the Li family in Lingnan?
At first, Feng Shaoqing's eyes were on Liu Changying and Dongfang Sheng, and he didn't think much of Li Zhaoting. But as the competition progressed, Feng Shaoqing became more and more excited.

Just as in the saying "choosing a son-in-law after passing the imperial examination," where the candidate is usually a lower-ranking scholar, if one party's status is far superior to the other's, conflict will inevitably arise sooner or later.

Not everyone has the luck of Liu E!

Compared to the son of the prime minister and the young marquis, Li Zhaoting, a poor boy with no official rank or title but exceptional talent, is more suitable to be a son-in-law, and there's no need to worry about him being bullied.

In fact, when martial arts figures seek sons-in-law from among the successful candidates, they usually choose talented martial artists from lesser-known families. Most of the talented disciples from prestigious sects are chosen internally.

For example, Wudang and Emei have been linked by marriage for generations.

"Whether you're a participant or not, whether you're qualified or not, no matter how many of you there are, if you're willing, come on over! Don't waste your time!"

Li Zhaoting lightly swung his staff forward, leaving a deep mark on the arena. Two long banners flew out from his sleeves and hung on the wooden bar in front of the arena.

—If you ask me today about a son-in-law who will ride the dragon, who else but me would dare to answer this question?

"Damn, this kid is incredibly arrogant. It's a pity now isn't the time. I really want to fight him!"

A man in black robes stared intently at Li Zhaoting on the arena, his fighting spirit almost tangible. His name was Feng Bo'e, and his greatest love in life was finding someone to fight.

"No, no! This kid's abilities are nothing compared to our young master's. He's just a pretty boy, nothing to worry about!"

The speaker was a thin, middle-aged man, quite tall, with a mustache, wearing a drab gray robe, and stroking his beard as he spoke.

This man's name is Bao Butong. He is a sworn brother of Feng Bo'e. He loves to argue with people all his life, whether they are right or wrong. His sharp tongue offends people everywhere.

The "young master" surrounded by the two was none other than the famous "Murong of Gusu".

The Murong family of Gusu were descendants of the Xianbei royal family. Although their kingdom had been destroyed six hundred years ago, they still dreamed of restoring their kingdom.

Murong Fu participated in this martial arts contest not to marry Feng Suzhen, but to take the opportunity to recruit talented young men and prepare for the restoration of his kingdom.

Unfortunately, having Feng Bo'e and Bao Butong, two brilliant but cunning individuals, by his side meant he was destined to achieve nothing. He managed to befriend a few people using his wealth, but they were either driven away by Feng Bo'e or scolded away by Bao Butong. He didn't make a single friend, but instead made a bunch of enemies.

Upon seeing the elegant Li Zhaoting, Murong Fu thought that since this young man had neither official rank nor wealth, he could probably recruit him if he offered him substantial benefits.

Before I could even voice my idea, Feng Bo'e and Bao Butong shattered my illusions. What a load of rubbish!

With Bao Sange's foul mouth, it's a good thing if he doesn't offend anyone; he's more likely to make enemies.

Seemingly sensing Murong Fu's resentment, Bao Butong glanced at Murong Fu and swallowed hard.

I know I was wrong, but I won't change!
Bao Butong was not a jealous or power-hungry person; he was upright and honest, and he did not deliberately sabotage others. He just couldn't get rid of his bad habits.

Even if he were silenced by acupressure and had his tongue cut out, Bao Butong would still argue with others while writing with a brush.

As long as there is life, there will be no end to arguing.

The only thing that comforted Murong Fu was that his father had left behind "four great retainers," the other two of whom were relatively reliable and at least wouldn't cause trouble.

Gongye Qian whispered, "Young Master, when you go on stage to challenge, first defeat Li Zhaoting to deflate his arrogance, and then offer him a great reward..."

Deng Baichuan added, "Li Zhaoting has no official position, no rank, and no family wealth, so he will definitely be convinced of your sincerity."

Feng Bo glanced at Bao Butong.

Bao Butong covered his mouth and stiffened his neck.

Feng Bo'e chuckled gloatingly and pressed Bao Butong's acupoint to silence him: "For the sake of the young master's important matter, I can only ask that Third Brother Bao be mute for a while!"

Murong Fu nodded in satisfaction, then leaped onto the arena: "A beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman. Brother Li wishes to marry Miss Feng, and I should grant his wish..."

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get started!"

Li Zhaoting interrupted Murong Fu.

Murong Fu appeared tolerant but was actually petty. He couldn't help but frown, drew his sword and stabbed at Li Zhaoting. A flash of blue light formed a large arc.

Li Zhaoting exerted a little force with his five fingers, and the green bamboo staff shattered into dozens of bamboo strips, from which he drew a green bamboo sword.

With a thought, the sword's momentum suddenly changed, and thousands of willow branches transformed into a torrential downpour. One sword strike followed another, the sword's momentum like wind and thunder, vast and unstoppable.

The Murong family's secret technique, "Shifting Stars and Reversing Force," allows them to redirect force and deflect internal energy. This is the origin of the Murong family's reputation for using the enemy's own methods against them.

Murong Fu originally intended to use "Shifting Stars" to reverse the trajectory of the sword light, but Li Zhaoting changed his move with incredible speed, his sword energy like mist, his sword momentum like water, and his sword light like a waterfall.

With a flash of light, the Green Bamboo Sword slashed out with a strange and eerie arc, like the reflection of a weeping willow in a lake, its light and shadow rippled by a gentle breeze.

The shimmering light and shadow intertwined in an arc that made it impossible for Murong Fu to perceive the changes in his energy, just like the hazy interplay of reality and illusion when a gentle breeze stirs the water.

The Murong family collected martial arts from hundreds of schools, and Murong Fu had been practicing various martial arts techniques since childhood. However, this ethereal and exquisite swordsmanship was something Murong Fu had never seen before in his life.

Two moves.

Just two moves.

The renowned Murong of Gusu was thrown into disarray by the attack, his swordplay becoming chaotic and he could only desperately defend himself, swinging his sword into a sphere to resist the all-pervasive sword energy.

Gongye Qian and Deng Baichuan originally wanted to say a few words of praise to boost Murong Fu's prestige, but they didn't expect the scene to turn out like this. They wanted to help, but they were at a loss for what to do.

The so-called mastery of various martial arts styles is like child's play in the face of Li Zhaoting's delicate sword energy.

"Bah!"

Murong Fu roared, his sword swirling as he unleashed the Murong family's Dragon City Sword Technique. His moves flowed smoothly and continuously, his sword intent desolate and his killing aura chilling.

Li Zhaoting's eyes narrowed, and his sword moved with his body. Strands of sword energy swirled and overlapped with his body's rotation, transforming from thin threads into long whips, with the tip of the whip gathering energy into a gleam.

With a loud "crack," a clear whip cracked in mid-air, the tip of the whip precisely striking Murong Fu's sword, instantly shattering the blade into pieces.

Li Zhaoting lightly touched the ground with his toes, and in a flash, he was in front of Murong Fu. His left hand, with its five fingers like hooks, swept across Murong Fu's chest, dispersing his energy.

How can this be described as a gentle breeze blowing and the water remaining calm?

This is clearly a raging storm, a raging sea.

Murong Fu was like a small boat on the tide, drifting up and down with the wind and waves, weak and powerless to resist.

"Whoosh!"

Murong Fu was thrown off the stage.

Murong Fu lost, but he at least accomplished something that others couldn't: he was the only one who made Li Zhaoting draw his sword, which is very gratifying.

Gongye Qian and Deng Baichuan hurriedly stepped forward to help Murong Fu up, and glared angrily at Li Zhaoting.

Li Zhaoting laughed loudly: "Who else? If no one comes up to challenge, then it's Miss Feng's turn to set the question!"

The beaded curtain swayed slightly, and a melody of a zither drifted out.

Feng Suzhen's main martial art skill is... playing the zither!
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(End of this chapter)